Organised criminals are being warned there’s “nowhere to hide” as a major clampdown is today launched by police.

Drugs gangs and those who own firearms or commit armed robbery, kidnapping, or human trafficking, will be the target of Operation Scorpion.

It follows on from previous successes after stashes of weapons, cash and class A drugs were seized during busts across North Wales.

The new “umbrella” operation sends out a message to criminals and members of the public that such serious offences “will not be tolerated,” with offender’s “pension pots” obliterated using the Proceeds of Crime Act.

Detective Chief Superintendent Wayne Jones, head of crime services at North Wales Police explained: “Operation Scorpion will manage all types of serious and organised criminality including cross-border crime, armed robbery, criminal use of firearms, kidnapping or human trafficking as well as drug production, importation and supply.

“North Wales Police already has a well-established response to tackle this level of criminality.

“We have an excellent record of success in recent years seizing drugs, criminals assets and convictions, with substantial sentences handed out to criminals who took part in organised crime. We will pursue organised criminal groups operating here relentlessly who may be living beyond their means and getting rich of their ill-gotten gains.”

He added: “One of the Operation’s aims is to keep the people of North Wales aware of the progress being made to tackle organised crime where they live, work and visit.

“It is intended to be a two way communication process and part of the launch is focused on encouraging the public to provide North Wales Police with information and to share their concerns about individuals or criminal groups.”

DCI Jones described North Wales as “one of the safest places to live and work in the UK,” but stressed that officers will not be “complacent” and will use “every tactic available” in their crackdown.

“Criminals are driven by greed and they will, where they see an opportunity, carry out criminal activity,” he said.

“We want to make sure that they are aware and the public are reassured that we are taking a hard line against serious and organised crime.

“Those who are involved in such activity seldom do so quietly, they very often live well beyond their obvious means, drive expensive cars, live in large houses and are often out of the country. These are some of the clues that someone may be living on the proceeds of crime.”

“We’ve got dedicated resources to combat it and just because we arrest people and convict them, doesn’t mean that’s the end of the operation.

“We will also pursue people for the proceeds of crime, for their ill-gotten gains and make sure we do everything within our powers legally, to take those assets from them.”

If you know someone who fits this picture then call police 101 or Crimestoppers 0800 555 111.

Operation Justice

Operation Justice involved the seizure of a haul of Class ‘A’ controlled drugs such as cocaine and heroin from organised crime groups in and around Llandudno and Bangor .

In November, 2010, leader of a Bangor drugs ring, Paul David Williams was arrested along with Barry Lawrence Dobie – a courier from Merseyside after 1.6 kilos of heroin and £19,000 in cash was seized.

A further £26,500 was seized from Williams who was then remanded in to custody, but then continued to orchestrate by use of mobile phones, significant amounts of heroin being delivered in to North Wales.

In December, 257g of heroin was seized and David Thomas, another member of the Bangor group was arrested and subsequently charged with possessing heroin with the intent to supply.

The following February, a search of Steven Chegwin’s vehicle was undertaken. Chegwin was a member of the Llandudno organised crime group and the search revealed 344g of cocaine and a stun gun resulting in him being convicted with an offence of possessing heroin with intent to supply.

In March, North Wales Police intercepted Steven Miles Bennett and Karl Leonard Sturrs who were both members of the Bangor group and returning from Sheffield with 124g of cocaine.

Days later, officers recovered 1 kilo of heroin which was delivered from Merseyside to Bethesda, a number of arrests were conducted which included David Paul Thomas the recipient of the drugs and two couriers from Merseyside, namely Darren Myles and John Kavanagh, both commodities were orchestrated again by Paul David Williams from within prison.

North Wales Police then re-focussed their attention on the Llandudno organised crime group, evidencing meetings and exchanges between David John Jones and his upstream suppliers from Merseyside, seizing £6,000 in cash from Brian Thompson a Merseyside courier in April.

Throughout the remaining few weeks of April, police further evidenced meetings and conversations between the groups and their Merseyside suppliers, culminating in May with evidencing an exchange between a Merseyside courier, Carl James Robertson and Mathew Philip Jones.

It resulted in the seizure of 367g of high purity cocaine with a street value of £92,000.

During a subsequent search of the home address of Barry John Evans, a quantity of military issue ammunition, explosives and a hand grenade was seized.

The covert surveillance was concluded in May 2011, a variety of covert tactics were employed culminating in vital evidence being gathered, many arrests and significant seizures of Class A controlled drugs and cash.

The six-month operation resulted in a total of 2.8 kilos of heroin and 873g of cocaine being seized with a total street value of £401,304.

A further £51,845 in cash has also been seized during the operation.

In total 35 people were arrested, of whom 27 have been convicted or awaiting sentences for drugs supply and or money laundering offences.